Samson François Debussy Piano Works 4 SACD Hybrid TOWER RECORDS JAPAN
Product introduction
Francois's 100th birthday commemorative project
A collection of all recordings of Debussy, one of François's masterpieces, recorded in sessions for the old EMI, in a 4-disc set. DISC 1 is the first SACD except for two songs! New and latest reprint from the home country analog master tape. With new explanation
To commemorate the 100th anniversary (2024) of the birth of Sanson Francois (1924.5.18-1970.10.22), who is still highly popular as one of France's leading pianists, a 4-disc set of Debussy's sound sources left at the former EMI. I have assembled it. François frequently features these works, including those of Debussy as well as Ravel, in his concerts, and as one of the best interpreters of modern times, all of his recordings are highly acclaimed. EMI recorded a solo album (DISC 1, which was also used in the jacket design of this BOX) in July 1961, and then started a new project in February 1968 with the aim of recording all of Debussy's works. It was discontinued due to his sudden death (recorded up to two days before his death). This time, this gem of a recording, which can be called a heritage, has been made into a new SACD. In addition, DISC 1 is the sound source that is being made into SACD for the first time, except for "Island of Joy" and "Later than Rent" (the others, including DISC 204, have already been made into SACD). For this release, the master was digitized at 192kHz/24bit from the original analog master tape in Japan, and the SACD layer and CD layer were mastered separately. With new explanation. This is a permanent preservation record.
These sound sources are not only important recordings by François, an unparalleled pianist in the history of performance, but their unique nuanced performance methods and interpretations set them apart from other recordings, and they are truly a masterpiece of all kinds of music. I think it's a good result that you could say it's heritage grade. While there are many performances that are faithful to the score and uniform, I wonder why I am so drawn to past recordings, performances from more than half a century ago. You will feel this feeling even more strongly. In particular, Francois's strong will towards Debussy can be confirmed more than ever before. High-quality sound sources not only have excellent reproducibility of multi-layered sounds in orchestras and operas, but also reproduce the complex nuances and diverse expressive power of a single instrument, such as a piano. I think you can get a better sense of the possibilities. In that sense, I think it is rare to find a performer who can appreciate as much diversity as François. For the SACD, we did not use past sound sources, but instead used an original analog master tape in France as the new master, so we aimed to reproduce Francois's unique musicality contained in the sound source even more than before. Please enjoy the highest sound quality, including some of the 1961 recordings made on SACD for the first time.
In this series, the SACD layer aims for high resolution and a rich sound field with extended high frequencies and soft nuances, while the CD layer aims for a realistic tone that is pushed out with a solid sound. The CD itself has great potential, so please enjoy it as an SACD hybrid disc that allows you to enjoy the best of both worlds. In addition, new text by Hiro Aiba has been included in the manual. The jacket photo uses the design of the album recorded in 1961.
<Sound source reprint concept>
This project, which started in March 2015, mainly aims to improve the sound quality by digitizing the rich catalog of the former EMI label in high quality from original analog master tapes in Japan and bringing it back to modern times with the latest mastering. The purpose of this event was to not only allow people to experience the beauty of the event, but also to encourage them to re-evaluate their performance. As you know, we have already released many sound sources, from well-regarded performances and historical masterpieces, to old masterpieces that have been forgotten in modern times, to operas that are rarely reissued in the CD era. In order to create the latest reprint, we have compared and listened to commercially available discs, including past SACD sound sources, and have taken great care in mastering to ensure that the musicality contained in the original master is not compromised as much as possible. Furthermore, as the reprint process itself, including digitization and mastering processes, has evolved over the past few years, it has become possible to add technical aspects and reprint with even higher quality. Therefore, even if the sound source has been converted to SACD in the past, it should bring us new discoveries. On the other hand, analog master tapes are also struggling with aging, and physical problems are gradually increasing. We will continue to move forward with this project before the precious heritage of the analog recording era is lost.
Regarding the sound source, we use 192kHz/24bit WAV data ordered from Japan as a basis, and perform individual mastering for the SACD layer and CD layer, focusing on the characteristics and sound quality of each format. In the gap between time and technology, we would like to continue to release sound sources that will remain for future generations with maximum effort.
Work information
Piano: Sanson Francois
Composer: Claude Debussy
Contents
Number of components | 4 pieces
Edition | Remaster
Track Listing
Claude Debussy
Disc 1
1. L'île joyeuse
2. Préludes, Livre I: No. 8, La fille aux cheveux de lin; No. 10, La cathédrale engloutie;
No. 11, La danse de Puck; No. 12, Minstrels
3.Plus lent
4. Pour le piano: I. Prélude, II. Sarabande, III. Toccata
5. Douze Études: No. 11, Pour les arpèges composés
6. Suite bergamasque: III. Clair de lune, IV. Passepied
Disc 2
7. Préludes, Livre I
8. Préludes, Livre II (except for No. 11, "Les tierces alternées" due to the performer's
passing).
Disc 3
9. Images, Livre I
10. Images, Livre II
11.Masques
12. Rêverie
13. Deux Arabesques
14. Douze Études: No. 7, Pour les degrés chromatiques; No. 8, Pour les agréments;
No. 10, Pour les sonorités opposées; No. 11, Pour les arpèges composés;
No. 12, Pour les accords
15. Berceuse héroïque
Disc 4
16. Children's Corner
17. Estampes: No. 1, Pagodes; No. 2, La soirée dans Grenade; No. 3, Jardins sous la pluie
18. Suite bergamasque: I. Prélude, II. Menuet, III. Clair de lune, IV. Passepied
19. Pour le piano: I. Prélude, II. Sarabande, III. Toccata
We will select and ship from Fedex, DHL, Japan Post.
Additional shipping charges may be incurred if otherwise specified.
Please be sure to contact us before ordering.
We will aim to dispatch all orders within 5 days of confirmed payment.
Please follow the payment method displayed on your ebay.
If you have any questions, please ask me before purchasing.
Terms of Sale
Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer’s responsibility.
Please check with your country’s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to buying.
These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up - do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.
We do not mark merchandise values below value or mark items as "gifts" - US and International government regulations prohibit such behavior.